Adrenal Testing

It is important to be able to test the functioning of the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland produces the hormones (such as cortisol) that allow us to tolerate stress. The role of the adrenal gland is often under appreciated. Extreme disorders of the adrenal gland include conditions such as Cushing's disease or Addison's disease. However, more commonly, a person will be struggling with suboptimal adrenal function which can cause a variety of symptoms ranging from lethargy, poor stress tolerance, insomnia, and mood disorders.

The two main adrenal testing techniques used at the CFNM include:

Salivary Cortisol Testing: The adrenal stress index evaluates a patient's cortisol levels throughout the day and night. This test also measures important parameters such as DHEA, the precursor molecule to cortisol production.

The second technique for evaluating adrenal function is to conduct an autonomic nervous system test to appreciate the relative strength of the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the fight or flight response) versus the parasympathetic nervous system (most active when the body is physiologically relaxed). Please visit In House Labs for more discussion on autonomic nervous system testing.